Sharjah24 – AFP: Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Saudi Arabia and meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of a Gulf trip, his spokesman said Monday, as Germany rushes to secure energy supplies.

Scholz, whose two-day trip next weekend will also take him to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, becomes the latest Western leader to meet with the crown prince.

Scholz, accompanied by a business delegation, will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday, where he will meet with the crown prince and -- if his health permits it -- King Salman, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.

He did not go into detail about the reasons for Scholz's Gulf visit but said he would be "very surprised" if the topic of energy was not discussed.

On Sunday, Scholz will head first to the UAE . Economy Minister Robert Habeck said Scholz would sign contracts there related to liquified natural gas -- seen as a key alternative to Russian energy supplies.

In the afternoon, the chancellor will hold talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.